General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy is it noteworthy that Chris Christie is fat?
With all the lies Christie says and with his bad unemployment record in NJ, I would think that his weight is irrelevant, but based on the many references here to his fatness, I don't think that's the case here.
All of us or nearly all of us have fat relatives (parents, wives, husbands, etc.).
Should we whine that Donald Trump called Ariana Huffington unattractive while at the same time calling Christie fat?
Coexist
(24,542 posts)but I appear to be in the minority.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)medical condition, not a failure of character. I think attacks on a person's obesity come perilously close to attacks on a person's skin color.
That said, I think DUers see Christie's 'fat-ness' as symbolic of excess in general, whether excessive greed, excessive hoarding and so on. As the Rude Pundit so eloquently put it: "Who the fuck does this fat fuck think he is, this man-beast poster boy for the sins of gluttony and avarice, telling the poor that they have to tighten their loose belts? Talk to us about cutting back when you can see your penis without the aid of a mirror, Governor Bubble. And maybe stop talking about how great you are and actually govern, fucker."
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/
Back in Shakespeare's day, matters were somewhat reversed, as one of Shakespeare's characters in Julius Ceasar refers to the conspirator Cassius as having a "lean and hungry look." I've always loved that description Contrast with the depiction of the merry (and quite corpulent) Falstaff of Henry IV, part 1
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)Maybe he eats half a gallon of Blue Bunny ice cream for breakfast every day. I remember watching a show on that Jared guy from Subway, not wonder he was obese. He would eat a whole dominos pizza every night as a "bedtime snack".
I am not into bashing fat people for being fat, but I am also not going to be naive enough to sit here and say that every fat person has a medical condition causing it. Some people just eat too much, and as a food lover myself, I understand. I love good food, especially french, italian, and mexican cuisine done right. I am an excellent cook and prepare those cuisines well. I could easily gorge myself every night if I allowed myself to do it. I don't because I tend to put on fat easily. I know this, I have to maintain most of the week and usually save the weekends for essentially pigging out.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)obesity epidemic in the U.S.
Obesity is a medical condition. We're not talking about why Christie is 'obese,' only that he is obese.
But please see my edited post above for some priceless new material garnered from The Rude Pundit
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)You specifically noted that it was "not a failure of character".
If you would have said, "it does not matter how he got there, we need to focus on the medical implications that he IS there" I would not have posted anything. You specifically make the quantum leap that he is a victim of a medical malady, not that his condition is a medical malady.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)least according to the CDC and the medical profession. I hardly think I am alone in that position.
Here's what I said in my original post that seems to have got your knickers in such a twist:
So I think you're insistence upon a distinction without a difference is wasting both of our time today.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)So he can add a few more holes to his own. Whether this is metaphorical or literal, doesn't really matter.
It's not a statement against large people. It's a statement against this particular asshole.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)has medical and psychological components.
As an FYI though, this level of obesity could also be related to a hormonal issue, or a side effect of a medication. Or a slew of metabolic issues.
But even when related to the consumption of food, it has a very heavy psychological component, and has been recognized as a yes, medical condition.
His morbid obesity is not a failure of character, there are many other issues, that are very valid, to go after Christie. His obesity, which may (will) kill him, is independent of this.
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)He could be like Jared and eats a half gallon of ice cream every day and a whole pizza for a little snack. I have known people who were morbidly obese who really did not eat much more than everyone else. I also knew a guy who was morbidly obese who ate like Jughead from Archie comics...
I do not believe alcoholism is a disease, I don't believe in MOST talk therapy, and I do not believe that every obese person is that way because of medical issues.
I do agree that it is not something we should hit him on, although if he runs for President, a man who is essentially a ticking time bomb because of their weight has no business being in the White House. If you want that responsibility, you owe it to the people of the country to be as healthy as you possibly can.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)believe alcoholism is a disease," you are starting to channel your inner Todd Akin. And so, it's off to the Ignore list with you.
LiberalLoner
(9,760 posts)Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)only 20% of medical doctors agree with the WHO and the AMA and consider it a disease. I think 99.999% know how a woman gets pregnant.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)I am not going to play that game with you.
I have met plenty of people who are obese, as in morbidly obese.
That included me at one time. And you know what Janno, it was a SIDE EFFECT of Avandia... and it took three years to lose them.
Oh and you fell for a marketing scheme. Yes, Jared was morbidly obese, but what Subway did was play on the morality play that Americans love. Congratulations.
Go after the man for his policies, serious. There is plenty there.
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)I also agree that there are PLENTY of people who are obese because of hormones, drugs, side effects of treatments, etc. I also believe (and Jared falls into this category) there are PLENTY of people who are obese because they simply gorge themselves because the endorphins make them feel good!
I have bad knees, really bad knees, I will need TKR on both in about five years. Arthritis got me. However, it was not rheumatoid arthritis, it was osteoarthritis. You know why? Because I was a powerlifter for 20 years, and all of those squats and deadlifts in excess of 800 lbs did their thing on my body. I DID THIS TO MYSELF. IT IS NOT A DISEASE, I caused this to my own body by having
1) an ego that loved being the strongest guy in the gym
2) a love of the endorphins from the "pump". As there is nothing quite like the "pump" from a muscle feeling
3) an addictive-type personality
I do not have "a disease". I destroyed my knees through over and improper use. period!
Quit pretending you KNOW the reason that he is obese. You don't and neither do I.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and what to make this a morality play. I don't
I actually do not care why he is morbidly obese.
You do.
That is a critical difference.
Enjoy the knee replacement. Make sure you do them at the SAME TIME. Trust me, knee surgery is THAT painful. I am sure the doctor will tell you this though.
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)I don't claim to know, but I will reserve judgement. I do believe "reasons why" matter, especially when we are electing a personality for leader (because let's be honest, as President, personality does count). If he has a medical condition that causes his OTHER medical condition, I hope he gets treatment. If it turns out he just likes to make a glutton of himself, I will not be willing to give him a pass on his weight issues.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)wil he run in 2016? Then it will become relevant for the same reasons any serious candidate's medical record might matter. FYI, the fact that the current President is a smoker matters too, by the way. And you know what? Some people have made the same exact observations regarding character and smoking... so be careful when going there.
FYI, when William Taft was elected for President some people made the same idiotic jokes.
He was all but a svelte man...
unc70
(6,088 posts)I nearly choked when I heard Christy using the standard Repub TPs. Could not keep from thinking how easy those same TPs could apply to him. I agree obesity (and anorexia and bulimia) are not the result of moral failure, of lack of discipline or self control. While diet and exercise are important for everyone, the parameters of a good diet varies dramatically from person to person. What is healthy for me might be deadly for you. And what we "know" is rapidly changing. For example, while many today "blame" anorexia on the fashion industry, five hundred years ago it was seen as sign of religious piety and faithfulness.
What I have seen with RW in NC is that obesity as a moral failing is as part of their "welfare queen" litany. "Why should your money be given as Food Stamps to underserving people who make poor choices and don't take responsibility for the consequences -- they waste your hard-earned tax money buying junk food, sitting around all day while you work, getting fat, not exercising, and then they expect you to pay for their health care. End the dependency and entitlement of the Welfare State -- Why should you pay to take care of the underserving who refuse to work. No more using your taxes for welfare for those who won't work, but are buying things you can't afford."
(End of channelling RW talking points.)
I would be remiss not to mention adenovirus-36 among the contributors to obesity.
I agree about the US flawed Calvinist morality play mentality. It is one of the most destructive forces in out society.
Will update with link to a new thread regarding that topic.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)or point out that it is cheap food policy which is a major factor in this problem... as in a POLICY MATTER.
unc70
(6,088 posts)The hardcore RW will not be persuaded by facts or reason. Instead, I try to give the persuadable people something new to think about. This is an example I posted earlier today at wral.com:
pingaels,
We balanced the budget the last two years under Clinton, and were paying down the national debt. Image that. Did not need a balanced budget amendment. Just a Dem Congress and President.
Scared Wall Street because government borrowing at all levels using bonds is the main source of Wall Street's money. Keeping governments in debt, always re-borrowing, skims large percent of tax revenues with no benefit to taxpayers. Worse than making minimum payments on credit cards. Trapped and vulnerable. Tax cuts for the wealthy "job producers" keeps government always in debt. The final insult: that extra money from lower taxes is used to buy and profit from the bonds now required to refinance because lower tax revenue from the rich. NO JOBS either. Those bonds will just sit until redeemed at taxpayers expense, likely reinvested in still more bonds with little or no tax exposure. Repeat.
Real reason for Bush tax cut. Two long wars made it much worse, and out of control.
treestar
(82,383 posts)I don't eat more than average. It's a metabolism thing. Went on a diet and lost 40 and then gained it back like they always say you do. I think age slows metabolism and so do diets, thus the re-gain.
I never eat desserts. I did when I was younger and thinner. I really don't think just eating put it on, in fact, I gained when I ate poorly due to skipping meals and working all the time. Age may have come into it, too. Learn from me, start to cut back and exercise more at 40 even if the signs aren't showing yet - the slowdown is starting and will show up suddenly if you just go on as before.
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)but the presidency? It will be an issue and rightly. Consider if Ryan was his running mate or some clone like him. That makes it matter.
Zoeisright
(8,339 posts)It is mean; it's mean to those who are NOT repukes who are overweight. But apparently some don't care who they hurt.
TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)what bigotry means or they just don't care that they're being bigoted.
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)His weight shouldn't factor into his character at all.
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,605 posts)As stated above, like so many right wingers, he's a bully.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Drale
(7,932 posts)when alot of the country barely has enough to keep their families fed every night of the week.
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)Besides, the most being overweight should say is that person needs to be under the care of a physician.
There are any number of reasons why a person is obese. Food is only one of them.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)except yes, food.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)period. All insults to a repiglican is well deserved. Fuck them all.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)He's a republican, therefore deserving of insult.
ALL HAIL THE BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN!
treestar
(82,383 posts)Exactly. If Bernie Sanders gained weight, we'd have no such problem. It's about his inner ugliness. Conservatives are judgmental to start with, so in the golden rule, it's "fair" to judge them.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)The difference between this republican pig and the treatment the OP has gotten is that the OP is minding his/her own business and is getting shit from those who have no business even noticing what or how much they have eaten. He/she is not on a national stage shouting bullshit designed to destroy the country.
I used to tolerate repiglicans and try to respect them. I have given up on that. I am a person that is so empathetic to others pain that I can not watch regular news as it will leave me crying for the peoples pain and personal stories. However, I have come to feel such hate for the repigs that if their false god were to swoop in and kill all of them in one motion with each of them crying and screaming, I would feel no empathy, no pain for them. Not a tear.
Let them all rot in hell. We have taken the high road, we have turned the other cheek. We have played nice. We have been fair. For naught.
Fuck them. Gloves off. Use whatever you can against them. Save the planet from the fucking repiglicans.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)Exactly. If we attack his appearance, and then get butt hurt when Republicans attack other people's appearance, we are hypocrites.
RagAss
(13,832 posts)tjdee
(18,048 posts)"Fat" is the only thing I've ever even heard about a man in the public eye, and not that often. There are some unfortunate-looking men in politics/on television and no one ever mentions one peep about their looks. Women get ripped on their clothing choices, hair, makeup, 'prettiness', 'manliness' and everything else.
Because they want to discount women's opinions and objectify them. That's what those charges do.
This society has made it paramount for women to be "pretty", or at least well put together, in order to be taken seriously--or hell, even to get any attention at all. So when Trump calls Ariana unattractive, it is a larger slight and a bigger insult than calling a fat guy fat. Because what he's really saying is "she's unattractive so no one should pay attention to her and her opinions don't matter".
Calling Christie lard-o or whatever is petty, silly and childish, but that's just not the same thing.
Segami
(14,923 posts)Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)global1
(25,143 posts)rfranklin
(13,200 posts)I think that he is a symbol of Republican greed.
no_hypocrisy
(45,625 posts)Attacking anyone with whom you disagree is an ad hominum fallacy. It resembles an argument but it doesn't address the issue but rather attacks the person who made the statements. So stick to the statements and win the arguments.
Response to no_hypocrisy (Reply #14)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
no_hypocrisy
(45,625 posts)Christie's girth is irrelevant.
His facts, his record, his choice of delivery are relevant.
Response to Ashleyshubby (Original post)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)reformist2
(9,841 posts)HipChick
(25,485 posts)Morbid Obesity is a disease...maybe partly mental..I have a sister who was morbid obese for over 25yrs...kudos for her for finally getting gap bad surgery ...but even now mentally, she cannot help but try and eat the foods she has conditioned herself to over the years..
PatSeg
(46,559 posts)if the man is considering a possible run for the presidency. He is dangerously obese and that is an important issue for anyone who wants to be president. I get nervous just watching him speak (especially when he gets angry). He gets red in the face and short of breath, hardly the picture of health.
I don't know why he is so overweight, but I hope he is getting the help he needs for the sake of his family.
RZM
(8,556 posts)When and if he does, your points would matter. Right now they don't.
PatSeg
(46,559 posts)but last night that sounded like an "acceptance speech". I think he's planning on running in 2016 and he's preparing now.
factsarenotfair
(910 posts)He is a terrible human being with a terrible record and talking about his weight only takes the focus off more relevant things. However, if he were to run for President, I think his weight would be a disqualifying health issue.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)It's something that's very hard to overlook.
MrSlayer
(22,143 posts)It's the very first thing you notice about him. How can it not be noteworthy?
Arkansas Granny
(31,476 posts)Not everyone is or can be slim and beautiful. People should be judged by their character, not their looks.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)Segami
(14,923 posts)Christie is a BULLY and his own worst enemy. Most people (victims of bullyism) despise the antics of such bullies.
Arkansas Granny
(31,476 posts)Terra Alta
(5,158 posts)We shouldn't be talking about his weight; we should be talking about what what a jerk he is and how he likes to bully people -- far more relevant than his weight.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)rustydog
(9,186 posts)hypocrites ask for more civil discourse.
When we voiced concern over Bush's eavesdropping on millions of cell phone calls, the GOP said: You are with us or the terrorists. Why do you hate america?
A bunch of tea partying scrotum-faced losers satarted chanting USA, USA when a Latina entered the GOP stage...They hate, they thrive on hate and they sleep well knowing we won't "go there " in retaliation.
Chris Christie is a mean, hateful fat piece of shit who needs to stop eating babies in Jersey and join the Y.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)dmallind
(10,437 posts)There is absolutely no other reason possible for it to matter in a job that does not require aerobic exertion and where lack of it endangers no-one else. He's not a submarine officer, lifeguard or astronaut. His weight does not matter in the slightest - except to the above type obviously.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)How can anyone not notice how unhealthy he looks and wonder if his ankles are going to hold up during a long speech? I don't know any Democrats who only discuss his fat to the exclusion of his dreadful ideas. If he were just fat I don't think it would attract that much attention or commentary.
Zoeisright
(8,339 posts)That means it's okay to make fun of people who are that fat? That says more about you than it does about the morbidly obese.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)If he doesn't want to look like a blimp and make everyone concentrate on whether he will be able to survive a long speech without collapsing at the podium there's one simple solution: STOP FEEDING YOUR FUCKING FACE. It shows lack of character to be so enormously, unusually fat. It show lack of self-control. It shows an engagement in risky behavior. It shows the same unbridled gluttony that embarrasses me quite frankly about my Fellow Americans when I visit foreign countries and see American tourists looking like dirigibles in short pants when the natives are usually slim and healthy. Maybe in a few rare cases there are diseases that cause people to retain water whatever amount they eat. If Christie has this he should go public. To suggest that gluttony and lack of self control in the amount people willingly put in their mouths as some have suggested in this thread are a permanent immutable condition like race or sexual preference is truly offensive.
Again it's not about being just fat. I never noticed Winston Churchill's fat or Orson Welles'. They were bon vivants who loved good food and good liquor. Their weight was almost a charming part of their natures. But Christie is not just fat. He's enormous and it's unhealthy.
ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)Thanks
JanMichael
(24,841 posts)Don't hand me the "we are better" bullshit either.
Republicans attack however they can...and they dont play the whiny "we are nicer!" card either.
THAT is why his weight is a target.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)We have met the enemy and he is us.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)because we love to make fun of overweight and morbidly obese people regardless of politics. This is not party specific. Fat jokes are part of the culture.
And quite brutally honest, there is so much at the POLICY level to go after Christie for, that his very unhealthy morbid obesity (I hope he gets help, he needs it), is really not germane to the conversation.
Christie IS a bully, and his policies are disastrous. Let's keep our eye on that one right.
johnnie
(23,616 posts)He has a much better chance of getting help with his health issues than a same sex couple has of getting married in his state.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)fat and obesity, not a single overweight person in this country bears any responsibility at all for the excess poundage.
Unfortunately, that's simply not true. The vast majority of overweight people eat too much and don't move enough. I am, alas, one of those, and I'm trying to do better, both in the food and the movement departments.
Also, for a morbidly obese man to lecture others on various kinds of restraint, including fiscal restraint, is yet one more brand of hypocrisy. It's like Newt Gingrich and all those other multiply-married adulterers daring to lecture Bill Clinton on morality.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)ain't it wonderful?
That said, no, not all of it is just calories in and calories out... recent science proves it is truly not that simple, and I wish it was actually.
After a certain point in poundage, for example, an overweight person has a lot of FAT, but very little MUSCLE. Well, fat is storage and muscle burns calories... and yes, the body chemistry is changed, permanently, crash diets lead to similar changes as well.
Then there is the vast numbers of people with poundage due to side effects of meds. We are seeing more and more of that. I could mention the best known suspects on this, steroids... but the list of these as side effects is actually growing. For me it was Avandia... 50 pounds in three months, trust me, it wasn't due to a large pizza every night.
Then there are the dead thyroids (which have a lot to do with JP-5 in water sources in the West, for example)
And then the emerging environmental issues we are increasingly seeing, some of this we are doing to ourselves as a species.
And let's not go into food policies, simple carbs are cheap, complex carbs are not.
By the way, Christie NEEDS medical care, as in badly, as in probably psychiatric and a lap band, yup, he is a candidate. But I prefer NOT to pound and blame people for all of it... and lord knows I was morbidly obese and after that bout, due to a medicine side effect, since my body was permanently changed, I struggle to keep at a more healthy weight. Will I ever be at my ideal weight? Probably not.
Am I ok with that? Sure. as long as I do not regain it, and so far, going on four years now, kept it mostly off. Every time I get back two to three pounds it is time to adjust my food... same goes with sugar levels that are elevated. Which reminds me, that is the other condition that makes it very hard to lose weight... Diabetes... the wasting part of it comes late in the disease. Until then... it is a struggle to lose weight. You might want to look into that. And why things are not as simple as a morality play.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)I also think it's a sign of increasing binary thinking and lack of real media in the US. No more shades of grey for anything.
Here in Canada there is a lot of news about the research going on about obesity and they are finding out that a good portion of obesity may be related to environmental factors coupled with food policies. For instance, new research is showing antibiotic use in children can cause those children to gain a few extra pounds. There was one show - The Nature of Things with David Suzuki (a prominent scientist here in Canada) - that showed a bunch of research that showed a lot of the chemicals in our environment are endocrine disruptors and endocrine disrupters caused severe obesity in mice and rats. And then you have medications, diseases, conditions etc that cause weight gain. I won't even go into the psychological issues which can also play a role.
Saying that one's obesity is merely a moral failure, a sin of gluttony, is buying into the other side's blame the victim mentality. It's easier (and intellecutally lazy) to blame the people who have these problems than to look into root causes of them.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)by the by, one of my fav programs, but since it is a furiengner one with complexity...
As to moral failure, that actually is in the make up of American Calvinistic, puritan culture.
Jennicut
(25,415 posts)I think people that place morals on weight gain are ridiculous. I take 40 units of Lantus insulin a night. Try losing weight with that injected into you every night or humalog injected into you 5 times a day for meals and snacks. I eat 1400 calories a day and really don't lose weight. I also exercise an hour of cardio a night. My metabolism and digestive system are shot from my diabetes. Some people will NEVER understand what people like me go through. So I detest Christie for his views but I have no moral judgements to make on his weight when I don't know the circumstances that led to his gaining it in the first place.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Kind of hard to bitch about government excess and largess when you have a 500 lb man as your running mate LOL
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)He happens to also LOOK like a huge ludicrous piece o' crap and the average american voter can get their heads around that.
Lucy Goosey
(2,940 posts)...is that this sort of thing is fine on a message board for Democrats, but should be off-limits for pundits and his opponents.
I don't think anyone here is saying that Christie is a bad person and a bad Governor because, and only because, he is obese, but if his weight gets thrown into the mix when we're criticizing him at DU, it's not really a big deal. Anyone who appears in the media representing the Democratic party should definitely stick to criticizing Christie's record, his actions and his words. There is still plenty of material there to work with.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)asthma attack. Uncontrolled asthma in an adult is very bad news. Yet he was reportedly offered the VP slot!
Alduin
(501 posts)I don't play nice.
Not until they do.
Besides, the fat piece of garbage was offered the VP slot, but because he's so grossly overweight, he's been hospitalized. That's not good for the country.
hay rick
(7,495 posts)that fat bastard does not deserve to be treated with even basic civility.
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)And we should use that imagery without directly disparaging fat people.
The figure of speech is "Fat Cats".
If we refuse to tug on the emotional strings of the populace we will lose.
atreides1
(16,039 posts)It's his party that wants to cut the "fat" from the budget!
Trim down our fiscal problems...
Get rid of that unwanted weight on the welfare rolls...
arthritisR_US
(7,255 posts)mnhtnbb
(31,302 posts)against obesity in favor of healthy eating.
Obesity is a BIG (yeah, pun intended) problem in this country. Some people
don't know how to eat healthy; some people don't have the resources
to eat healthy; some people have psychological issues related to
eating; some people have medical issues that result in weight gain;
some people just can't say 'no'....and on and on.
When have Republicans EVER cared about health issues?
That's my problem with Christie: he obviously doesn't care about
his own health. Why or how can he be trusted with the 'health'
of the country when he isn't healthy himself?
KansDem
(28,498 posts)"Gov. Christie is fat, so are poor people"
Agreed, albeit for different reasons. I've read many threads on DU about the food choices poor people have to make. Without much money, one eats the cheapest food, and that may not always be the most nutritious. In fact, cheap food is overly processed and lacks nutrition, and contains unhealthy ingredients such as HFCS, hydrogenated oils, etc., and this can lead to problems with overweight.
"Gov. Christie is not fat, but obese. And that's a medical condition."
True. But what kind of health care do you suppose Gov. Christie has? Pretty good, I would say. And I'll go further to say his health care plan probably has provisions for treating obesity. Perhaps covering prescription drugs or therapy? How about poor people who are stricken with obesity as a medical condition? What coverage do they have in their "health care policy?"
Lastly, how many poor people do you know belong to health clubs and spas? I bet Gov. Christie could afford a membership.
At least, Gov. Christie has the choice of addressing food nutrition and weigh/obesity.
It's a matter of choice and if you have the kind of salary and health-care coverage the Governor of New Jersey has, I would imagine you wouldn't be worried about health care and food nutrition.
Perhaps this is why the Gov. is ridiculed as it appears he's not making the right choices? I don't know too many people who look unfavorably on the less fortunate, whether it concerns health or finances, but I do know folks who tend to view in a negative light those individuals who have the ability to change a bad situation for the better but choose not to.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and rarely like to look into the underlying factors for obesity.
I am not familiar with Christie's medical history, but I wish he went and got both the psychiatric (There is a mental health component at that level) and bariatric medical care he needs.
No, not because I am a nice liberal... he needs to do that for the sake of his family.
It could only become somewhat relevant if he became the VEEP nominee, or worst the POTUS nominee, but to the same extent as any other nominee's medical status. We know he has Asthma, which is potentially deadly, and that much weight actually can interfere with breathing.
But reality is his policies are so awful, that his body girth is incidental, and only would matter the same way any other candidate's health status does. And people would have to consider that while voting. It is not because he is morbidly obese, but because his medical condition, which is NOT a morality play, could lead to an early grave. If you are POTUS, or one heart beat away from it, while VEEP, your health status matters a tad...
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)It's an old metaphor.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)this. But saying that just because a person is overweight doesn't necessarily mean they aren't health either. In my younger days I could work rings around my co-workers who where a lot thinner then me. I was always working harder than some because I never wanted anyone say I was lazy. I never was a lazy person. I never missed work or was sick. I always dressed nice because I had cloths made for me. I went and got my hair done once a week. I might have been fat but I was always neat. It was important to me. I went and decided at 25 to have surgery to get rid of the weight problem. I lost a lot of weight (over 100 lbs). I felt good and looked great. I was happily married at 29 and had my only child at 32. I have been married to the same man for 34 yrs and happily. He loved me no matter how I looked. He always said he married me for my personality. I hit the age of 50 and things with my health effected me because of that surgery I had. I have gainned most of my weight back because of health issues. No fat person wants to be fat. I think this is one of the most discrimnation that seems to be acceptable. I feel terribly sorry for a gay black fat person especially if the person was a girl. Girls get more grief then guys. So Fatboy Governor looks unhealthy but he is wealthy enough to get the help he needs to loose the weight. Many poor people can afford to eat healthy. Lots of foods are expensive. So I try not to judge because sometimes we don't really know what a person is going through. Just if your not morbid obese thank god and try to be understanding of others who do have that problem. Thank you.
dmallind
(10,437 posts)I don't give a rat's ass how much I weigh or whether strangers think I have any unrelated attributes because of it (except of course that this proves them to be irrational). I don't want to be thin, don't even want not to be fat (or, it must be said, want to be fat either. Just don't care either way). I live the way I want to and how I am able to because of entirely unrelated health issues. I have not the slightest doubt on earth I could easily be, if not thin, then less fat than I am, but why the hell should I care any more than I care what color my hair is or what's my shoe size? Why should I even spare a thought, let alone make drastic changes, to make other people stop proving themselves to be idiots by clucking about my weight? Dieting and faddish weight control gyrations are almost entirely for the truly pointless aim of making other people have a better opinion of your physical shape. Since only very limited thinkers indeed place any value on the physical shape of other people, by definition ot is then done to make idiots less dismissive of you. I truly could not care less if idiots dismiss me. The only truly valid reason to care about your weight is if it stops you from doing something you, as an individual, passionately want to do. Since climbing mountains and running marathons hold absolutely no appeal to me (and if they did, I would likely not be fat in the first place) it never applies to me.
I've been in great physical shape as a bodybuilder. I've been in average if bulky physical shape as I tailed off training and dieting. I've been fat. I've been morbidly obese. I'm somewhere in between the latter two right now. I haven't been stopped from doing one single thing I wanted to do in that process. I haven't been one iota more lazy, feckless, unintelligent, ill-educated, mentally limited, or any other canard leveled at the fat either. The only difference obesity has made in my life is that on the plus side I have several hours a day to do things I enjoy more than working out as I used to (I used to enjoy it) and on the negative side I have to pay more for clothes
Any longevity impact of obesity is a) almost always massively exaggerated b) refers only to slight shifts in very broad distributions with countless other uncontrollable factors (even if severe obesity can be shown to take a couple of years off on average, it does not mean it does so for all individuals - there is no consistent discrete effect at all) c) extends life only at the end - and who would resonably trade two more years of being very old for a lifetime of joint-destroying jogging and eating rabbit food just to get them, and above all for me personally d) completely moot to my life expectancy. I always laugh at men especially who pretend fat people should care because of lifespan. Even the health-nuts don't lie enough to pretend obesity takes 13 years off your life, and yet there is one thing men can do that adds that much - castrate themselves in their teens. Suddenly some things are more important than lifespan!
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)But when your young and in a working world life is different especially today. Wheter you want to believe that or not it is a fact. All my working life I always felt I had to prove myself. I seen the skinny girl get promoted over me just because of her looks. It happens. Those are the facts of life. However, I am now happy, fat and finally say to someone who stares at me what is your problem. I stand up for myself and my skinny husband loves me the way I am. It took many many years to finally get it in my brain. happily married 34 yrs. I wouldn't trade that for anything.
WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)You outdid yourself with that one.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)It's something that stands out of the norm. It's not always about all people with bad hair or all people that are overweight. If Christie had bright lime green hair we'd be treating it the same way.
I'm not condoning making fun of overwieight people in general - but this guy is a snorting thug lieing pig and I don't care if his itty bitty feelings get hurt.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)insults everyone who has been struggling with weight. But then again, look at the phrases we use; "Big Corporate Fat Cats", etc.
People have their frustrations over how the Republicans are. Many of them are greedy and unscrupulous. Even political cartoons have shown politicians as greedy and fat.. which usually came from them living of of us like leeches. We do need to fine tune our insults and not use so broad brush.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)It's irrelevant. It does however, allow us to take note of the character-- or lack of character of the individuals holding onto it as a debate point.
zappaman
(20,605 posts)marlakay
(11,351 posts)Even for those thinner and in good shape, I just wondered if Christie could handle it.
I recently lost 30 lbs I had been carrying for years. It's not easy to lose weight.
But I can say there are reasons for gaining and we don't know his whether medical or emotional.
It sure is alot more tasty and fun to eat pizza than fish and veges.
MADem
(135,425 posts)He's one of the largest people in public life, currently.
It's noteworthy because he's an OUTLIER. He doesn't fit into the "norm." It's also noteworthy because he's a visual symbol for excess, and that's the GOP's claim to fame.
The difference between Arianna Huffington and Chris Christie is this--Arianna Huffington, love her or hate her, is not "unattractive." She has entirely normal features-- no giant warts, grossly visible defects, or mangled bits and pieces-- some might call her comely, while others might not be drawn to her, but no one can call her ugly-- and she is in good shape for her age and stage of life. She shouldn't look like a 20 year old because she isn't one.
Chris Cristie, OTOH, IS overweight--severely, to the point of morbid, dangerously unhealthy obesity.
Noticing that isn't an insult--it is an observation.
LiberalLoner
(9,760 posts)with obesity here and in our families and in our nation and I don't see why we can't care about the feelings of those people.
Comrade_McKenzie
(2,526 posts)gopiscrap
(23,662 posts)VPOYUS or POYUS nominee in four years and his health is of enormous concern to the stability and continuity of the US Government. That said, the debate should be framed in respectful terms such over weight, not fat, corpulent etc etc...if we term the debate as concern for the nation over his helath we gain a lot more..if we hit the gutter along with the republicans then we give the American a reason to stick to disrespectful Democratic candidates.
treestar
(82,383 posts)just get the treatment - if it were a Democrat who said things we like to hear, we'd overlook it.
It is unusual for a person that fat to get elected to office, because of the way we judge people in this culture. We may be fat ourselves, but we think the thin are superior. So it's odd for a fat man to get elected governor.
Interestingly, it was not that way in the Gilded Age - fat meant prosperous, hence the fatcats. But now the symptom of prosperity is having time for workouts, trainers or to eat high end foot which is less fattening.
MineralMan
(146,116 posts)That it is being used as a way to slur him is simple laziness. People who don't have the energy or knowledge needed to properly criticize a politician often resort to lame, obvious slurs, rather than effective commentary.
It's that simple: Laziness.
4th law of robotics
(6,801 posts)It shouldn't be but we are a species that judges abstract qualities (honesty, integrity, competency) to no small degree by physical attributes (fat people are lazy, short people are not good leaders, handicapped people are to be pitied not followed and so forth).
I don't see it changing any time soon.
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)I think people's looks should be off-limits -- unless you're paying a compliment.
Even if Christie got thin, his lousy record in NJ and his "charming" personality would still be there.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)The right moralizes sex. Our side seems to moralize food.
There's Christie who is judged as unable to control himself because of his food related appearance.
And, endless threads about obesity among poor people with assertions that they just don't try to hard enough eat more healthy.
Both ignore personal health issues that are unknown to them. It is an observation comparable to the conservative's judgement of women's decisions about pregnancy. Excess vs. excess with possible unknown factors dismissed or ignored.
eShirl
(18,462 posts)Lots and lots of shit.
renie408
(9,854 posts)I know, let's waste all afternoon trying to make people who really don't give a shit feel bad about making fat jokes about Chris Christie.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)when they make fun of a fat person.
redroof
(24 posts)fat-ass pig man are actually his better qualities when he is looked at on the whole.
.... and it takes quite a wide-angle lens to see him on the whole....
Ashleyshubby
(81 posts)To those who pretend they reflected about the fact that Christie would perhaps die of obesity if he ever became President, thus posing danger to the continuation of the Republic (or any other similarly contrived response): None of you thought about those answers before this thread was created. Let's be honest.
Now the real answer. Christie is a Republican. Period. Christie tells lies, and he advocates issues harmful to America. He says bad things about Democrats, and adding a physical slur makes you feel extra good. It's a relief, like when we argue with someone on the street and call him/her you f****** this or f****** that. It just feels good because we can't stand the guy.
If Christie were a Democrat, there would be zero "whale" threads.
Now you may continue generating a posteriori justifications.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)The real answer is that this thread got exactly the replies you trolled for.
Christie is a morbidly obeses bully who sweats gravy.
Jennicut
(25,415 posts)Would you say his/her policies were affected by how much he/she weighs? There is so much other stuff to criticize him on. We are Dems, we are liberals and we are better then this. I don't laugh when I see Chris Christie, I just shake me head and hope he can get his obesity under control for the sake of his wife and kids. But I detest his politics. I live in the tristate area (CT, NY, NJ) and all I hear from Repubs around here is how great this guy is. His policies regarding teachers stink. And he bullies his constituents on tv. But his weight? I have nothing to say about it that is relevant to how I feel he is as a politician.
Repubs do crap like make fun of people's weight. Why would we want to be like them?
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)They think they are justified in being nasty because Christie is a republican, but it does not justify it.
Green_Lantern
(2,423 posts)We are simply taking his worst feature and using it to insult him.
It is like saying Ann Coulter has a huge, bulging....Adam's apple.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)MOST UnDemocratic.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)We have to stand up to bigotry no matter where it it, even when it is in our own party.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Ineeda
(3,626 posts)Christie is the epitome of "big, fat bully".
liberalhistorian
(20,809 posts)I cannot stand the man's policies or politics, especially his combative hatred of and insults toward the very professions who gave up so many of their lives across the river from him on a certain day in Sept., 2001, not to mention his raging temper and abysmal treatment of many constituents, including those who dare to ask The King any questions he doesn't like. And also not to mention his rampant, unabashed sexism.
However, his weight has nothing to do with anything and shouldn't have anything to do with it. Just as we get angry when the focus seems to be on the physical appearance of women politicians, so we should feel the same way about male politicians. Leave his weight out of it, there are plenty of other things to criticize that are far more substantial.
applegrove
(117,885 posts)He's playing with his life. He should not be running for the President, which he is, when his health is a ticking time bomb. He should take care of that first.
patrice
(47,992 posts)theinquisitivechad
(322 posts)People betray their class (or lack thereof) when they avail themselves of that impulse. Garden-variety middle-school bullying. I'd welcome substantive, specific critiques of his policies, however.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)He's fond of blaming the poor, the sick etc., of being in their present predicament because they "made poor choices", implying that they have only their own lack of character to blame.
Well, this sumbitch is fat because his lack of character caused him to make poor choices, namely the choice to stuff his face until he looked like Mr Creosote.
He needs to weeble-wobble his way back to NJ.